MORAGA, Calif. –– After a split Fall season of invites and tournaments, the Gaels have signed James Watt out of New Zealand to bolster the roster ahead of a busy new year. Watt will be eligible for competition starting in January 2019.

Before deciding to join the Saint Mary's squad, Watt was recording impressive numbers and rankings in his comeptitions. He was ranked 14th in the juniors' poll as well as 62nd in the Open rankings. Most recently, Watt defeated both the 2nd seed and 5th seed players in the Junior Nationals.

"James is a very impressive young man, both on the court and in the classroom, which makes him great fit for St. Mary's," said head coach Greg Kennett. "James has extensive national and international tennis experience, and with his size of 6'9" his ability to continue getting stronger in movement and strength leaves him with incredible potential."

The Gaels had a solid fall performance, including some impressive outings for newcomers as well as returners. Abhishek Bastola took first in the B Singles Bracket at the Aggie Invitational which was his first tournament with Saint Mary's, and then later saw more finals action with his doubles partner David Abfalter during the SMC Invite.

Saint Mary's will begin it's spring schedule on January 13th as they take on local competitor Stanford in their first match of the new year. For more information regarding the match and future matches, go to the Gaels' schedule page.